The head of an iconic Aussie figure has been stolen.

Crangan Bay's "big prawn" is suddenly missing its head, with some locals suspecting an angle grinder was used to saw it off between August 4 and 5.

The prawn loomed over the former Big T Roadhouse at Frazer Park, which burned down in October 2013.

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NSW Police say there has not been any reports of malicious damage since the prawn head went missing.

The prawn has been a local fixture since 1991, when it was constructed by local man Shane Simpson.

While maybe not as well-known as its Ballina cousin, the Crangan prawn is enough of an icon that several years ago the Central Coast council sought to purchase it from their neighbours Lake Macquarie.

Then-councillor Jillian Hogan told the ABC in 2020 that purchasing the prawn would a good way to get "some attention".

However, with the council currently in administration and voters not due to elect new councillors until next year, it's uncertain whether those plans are a priority.

An orthopedic surgeon who is normally scrubbing up in Sydney's biggest hospitals has performed a back operation on an orangutan at a zoo.

San Tans is Australia's oldest male orangutan and like many elderly men, he is struggling with arthritis while living at Sydney Zoo in Eastern Creek.

San Tans is 45 years old, or 75 in orangutan years, and weighs 106 kilos.

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"Apart from being a lot hairier – although some patients would give him a run for his money… his anatomy is very similar to that of a human," orthopaedic surgeon Paul Thornton-Bott said.

"We don't know if San Tans is ever going to be a candidate for hip replacement surgery so what we want to do is give him something that we know is going to take his pain away."

The elderly ape is expected to recover by Friday.

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The death toll in Maui County is now 36, according to a press release from the US county, after devastating fires that took the Hawaiian island by surprise burnt out shopfronts and destroyed homes.

"As the firefighting efforts continue, 36 total fatalities have been discovered today amid the active Lahaina fire," the release said.

"No other details are available at this time."

Wildfires, whipped by strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing far to the south, left behind burned-out cars on once busy streets and smoking piles of rubble where historic buildings had stood.

Flames roared throughout the night, forcing adults and children to dive into the ocean for safety.

Officials said earlier that 271 structures were damaged or destroyed and dozens of people injured.

More to come.

The mother of a teenage boy suffering from a rare autoimmune disease believes doctors at a Victorian hospital told her he was likely exaggerating his symptoms to get out of school.

Maysen Bowen, 12, was rushed to Sunshine Hospital after suffering intense body aches and being unable to eat.

His mother, Jessica Bye, said after blood tests failed to identify a clear issue, doctors began asking questions.

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"He couldn't really move, he could barely stand," she said.

"One time I had to help him to go to the toilet and I had to physically lift his legs off the bed."

She claims doctors asked if her child's symptoms were exaggerated and that he possibly wanted to stay home from school.

The young boy, unable to walk without a wheelchair, was discharged later that day.

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"We didn't get very far down the road and Maysen said something to me and I noticed his voice was really slurred," Bye said.

"I looked over at him and the whole left side of his face was floppy."

She immediately turned the car around and returned to the hospital where she said doctors finally began to take her son's condition seriously.

He has since been diagnosed with the rare condition Guillain-Barre Syndrome and is now being treated at the Royal Children's Hospital.

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"He's a 12-year-old child who's now bedridden," Bye said.

"It's hard to know how bad he would have been if we were assessed faster and diagnosed quicker."

A Western Health spokesperson said the organisation is reviewing the incident.

"We acknowledge that this is a difficult time for the patient and his family," the spokesperson said.

"We are in contact with the family and are committed to thoroughly reviewing this incident to identify any opportunities to improve our care."

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A man has been charged with two counts of murder after his wife and their newborn baby were found dead in a home in Central Queensland.

WARNING: Some readers may find content in this story distressing.

Police said officers were called to a home at Park Avenue in Rockhampton just before 11am on Thursday.

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At the home, police found the bodies of 30-year-old Tayla Cox and her 11-week-old baby girl, Murphy Margaret Cox.

Matthew Cox went to Fortitude Valley police station in Brisbane after allegedly reporting there were two dead people at the Rockhampton home.

The 31-year-old father has since been charged with two counts of murder (domestic violence offences).

He will face court tomorrow.

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Detective Inspector Darrin Shadlow said it was a "confronting scene" for first responders.

He dispelled claims there was a firearm used in the alleged crime.

Police believe Ms Cox and Murphy Margaret died on Tuesday before Mr Cox flew from Rockhampton the same night to Brisbane "after allegedly committing the offences".

A car was seized by police at Rockhampton Airport and is undergoing forensic examination.

Mr Cox was not known to police and there was no previous domestic violence history.

A crime scene was established at the Rockhampton home while a second crime scene was established at an apartment in Fortitude Valley, where police believe the man was staying.

Shadlow said the family of Ms Cox and her baby have been notified and they are "devastated".

Shadlow confirmed Ms Cox and her baby were a local family and were residents of the home.

The couple lived in a modest three-bedroom home in Rockhampton with a social media post revealing Ms Cox's excitement when they settled on the property.

"New chapter, can't wait to make so many amazing memories with our beautiful little family," it said.

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Mr Cox is a TV executive with Southern Cross Austereo and Ms Cox was on maternity leave.

The couple welcomed their child Murphy Margaret in June.

Neighbours were left shocked by the incident.

"I feel sick to my stomach. They're one of your generic, lovely families," a neighbour said.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

A teenager and baby have been found alive and well in Western Australia's south-west.

Western Australia Police said the 17-year-old and five-week-old baby have been found safe and sound.

"We no longer require public assistance with this matter," police said.

Earlier, police issued a call for information on the pair's whereabouts.

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A letter to the editor of the Otago Daily Times ratted Leary out – ‘should know better’.

The woman at the centre of the suspected mushroom poisoning in Victoria has travelled to Melbourne to speak with her lawyers today.

Erin Patterson, 48, was questioned and released without charge by detectives from the Homicide Squad after three of her guests died and another fell seriously ill after eating toxic wild mushrooms during a lunch in the Gippsland region on July 29.

Don Patterson, his wife Gail – Erin Patterson's in-laws – and Heather Wilkinson died a week after the lunch in Leongatha on July 29.

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A fourth person, Reverend Ian Wilkinson, who is a pastor at Korumburra Baptist Church and Heather Wilkinson's husband, is fighting for life in hospital and awaiting a liver transplant after eating the same meal.

Patterson initially told police she bought the mushrooms at the local shops.

9News has contacted all local grocery stores in Leongatha and a farmers' market. All say they haven't had any recalls on mushroom products.

The major supermarkets also say there have been no products taken off the shelves and there's no concern for customer safety.

The dish at the centre of the suspected poisoning has been revealed to be a beef Wellington pie, according to numerous media reports.

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Victoria Police told 9News they could not confirm or deny those details and conceded it would take some time for answers.

Patterson remains a suspect, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas told media earlier this week.

"She is (a suspect) because she cooked those mushrooms," Thomas said.

Police spent yesterday searching a Koonwarra rubbish transfer station after seizing a food dehydrator.

9News understands the dehydrator was seized by police from a bin on Friday.

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There have also been reports in News Corp alleging that Erin's ex-husband Simon Patterson had told a friend he believed he had been poisoned by Erin in the past.

In a social media post from June 2022, Simon said he almost died last year from gut problems that left him in intensive care.

In the Facebook post, which has now been deleted, he revealed his family were asked to say goodbye to him twice in hospital due to fears he would not survive the gut illness, which required three emergency operations.

The post does not state the cause of his illness and there is no suggestion it is related to the current investigation.

Police have yet to determine if the illness was suspicious, calling it "unexplained".

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Commuters say service is not good enough, after another fault left passengers stuck.

As a former prime minister's portrait has been revealed, we have looked back at all of the leader's since federation.